I think it's nuts and impractical regardless of views on under-age drinking. How on earth are the host parents going to keep track of who brought what and whose parents allow them to drink and whose don't? This puts too much responsibility on the kids NOT to share. Great party where half are allowed to drink and half aren't! Just won't work.

My SD who is no angel decided for her 14th that she wanted to go to a coolish indian restaurant with no parents allowed. They were allowed to take their own CDs and there was a bit of a dance area and we knew the place didn't serve alcohol and presumably wouldn't a whole lot of drunk teenagers on hand. Plus they promised to not allow anyone in who wasn't invited. And she told us that she was making everyone pay the $15 three-course banquet so we didn't need to worry about paying anything!

I was quite surprised at her lowkey choice given that a lot of her friends parents spent quite a few hundred dollars hiring out reception places. So we let her do her own thing and her dad picked her up at 11pm and there were no dramas.

TBH I think the whole party thing is overdone. Kids don't need to have a party every year and I think they feel the pressure too of having to think of something ever more wonderful than their friends.